Long Kiss Goodbye
by Lady-Mademoiselle
Summary: Karoku struggles to leave Nai behind, the two had grown so close in such a short amount of time that it hurt to say goodbye, so he leaves two things in his stead. A bracelet previously owned by himself, and a chaste kiss. KarokuXNai (Warnings: Fluff)


_Long Kiss Goodbye_

It was quiet in the tiny cave. The blue bird's chirps and the soft turn of pages were the only sounds emitting in the room. Nai was nestled between Karoku's legs, his back leaning against the fairly built chest of his elder. On Nai's lap lay a fairy tale book that went by the name of Snow White. The white-haired boy stared at the book with curious wide eyes. His red irises danced over the pages as Karoku read aloud to him. Nai looked at the pictures on the page, trying to decipher them in his own way.

"...So beautiful, even in death, that the dwarfs could not find it in their hearts to bury her...they fashioned a coffin of glass and gold, and kept eternal vigil at her side...The Prince, who had searched far and wide, heard of the maiden who slept in the glass coffin."

The albino's fingers ran over the picture of a beautiful women encased in a glass coffin. "Pretty." He mumbled, admiring how her dark ebony hair contrasted perfectly with her pale skin. Karoku smiled at Nai, he gently grasped the tiny hand in his and turned to the next page.

"She remains there through a full year, a cycle of seasons, as they stand around it grieving. Finally, her Prince comes and is relieved to find the ragged maiden that he had fancied at the castle. He gently kisses her cold red lips for farewell, not knowing that his Love's First Kiss will awaken her from her deathlike slumber. With great joy and cheering in the forest, she kisses each of the dwarfs goodbye, for her Prince has indeed come, Snow White goes off with the Prince on his horse…and they lived happily ever after."

"Karoku…what's a kiss?"

Teal eyes met red and the older of the two placed a hand on his chin. "A kiss is the touch of the lips. You do it when you love someone, or care about them dearly, like in this illustration." Karoku pointed to the picture of the prince placing a kiss to the Snow White's lips. Nai stared at it for a few seconds, seeming lost in thought, but after a few minutes he turned around, sitting up on his knees to face the blue haired man. Nai laid both of his tiny hands on Karoku's broad shoulders, leaned in and planted a kiss to man's soft lips.

"N-Nai?!"

Karoku could only stare back with bright red cheeks, watching as Nai looked back up at him with innocent eyes.

"You said that you kiss people when you love them…and Nai loves Karoku very much." A gentle smile began to replace Karoku's bewildered expression. A small chuckle left the elders lips, and he placed his hand on top of Nai's head, ruffling the white hair. Nai blinked a few times, whilst tilting his head to the side.

"What's wrong little one?"

"Does Karoku love me back?"

"Why of course I do."

A bright smile lit up Nai's face and he threw his arms around Karoku's neck. He was so happy to hear that the one person he cared for the most felt the same way. "Nai is happy!" Strong arms wrapped around the albino's petite frame, drawing him closer.

"Would you like to take your bath now?"

"Mm hm."

* * *

"Haha!"

Nai played with the bubbles in tub, scooping them up in the palm of his hands and blowing them. Karoku watched with a longing gaze, with his chin resting on his palm. He cherished these moments, even if he didn't express it verbally.

Nai turned his attention to Karoku, and his smile dropped a bit. "Why don't you come in Karoku?" Snapping out of his thoughts the older male shook his head and opened his mouth to respond, but before he could Nai was already out of the tub, tugging the sleeve of his white shirt.

"Wait, Nai I don't-"

Karoku's bare foot came in contact with spilled water on the floor. He lost his balance and slipped, stumbiling into the tub causing the naked boy to fall along with him. They sat in silence staring at each other with their mouth agape, but it wasn't long before they burst into fits of laughter.

"You're quite persistent today."

Nai giggled, wiping the small beads of water that dripped from Karoku's hair. "I like it when you smile Karoku!"

"I like your smile as well. It gives me hope."

He reached for a towel, wrapping it around Nai's shoulders. He discarded his own shirt and pants, tossing the drenched fabric aside and grabbing a towel for himself. "Come Nai, let's get you into your night wear."

* * *

Long after Nai was asleep Karoku stayed by his side, watching his chest rise up and down. He counted each breath he took, each eye lash; he memorized it all because Nai was his creation…his master piece.

"I'm going to have to leave you, my special child."

His thumb brushed across Nai's bottom lip, as he leaned in pressing a chaste kiss to the sleeping boy's plump lips. It was a long kiss, one that held regret and a longing of not wanting to ever let go.

Nai smiled in his sleep, his small hand reaching up to hold Karoku's. The blue haired man smiled sadly, intertwining his fingers in Nai's. Karoku reached into his pocket pulling out a brown bracelet that had a crimson stone in the middle. He clasped the bracelet onto Nai's wrist.

"Keep this to remember me by. It's not much, but it'll keep us connected in a way only we can understand." Karoku reluctantly released Nai's hand and walked towards his bed, putting on his jacket. He walked to the doorway and stopped, glancing behind his shoulder one last time. A single tear fell down his cheek while his fingers nails silently scraped against the wall. His heart ached with a unfamiliar pain. It had been so long since he had felt this way. Nai had given him so much, he had taken away all of his worries, discarding them into an endless abyss. And now he had to leave the one person that had brought him so much happiness.

_"…We'll meet again someday...and maybe then you'll realize just how much you mean to me."_

* * *

_**A/N: **_ Hello! So this is my first Karneval fic. I figured I should contribute something to the fandom. I know there isn't much info on Karoku…so I had to make up a personality. Hopefully they'll show some more of him in later episodes. I really hoped you guys liked it. I'll probably write one for GarekiXNai later on. I apologize if there is any errors in the spelling.

Oh and please leave a review~

:)


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